# NousResearch/hermes-agent · read_file dedup stub bypassing repeated-read loop detection

## Open now

- Nothing open on GitHub.

All three members concern read_file's dedup early-return/stub path not feeding into loop detection, which is reported as allowing an endless read loop. One is a bug report and two are pull requests proposing changes, including escalating to BLOCKED on repeated stubs; their outcomes are not stated in the titles.

## TL;DR

- 3 member(s): 0 open issue(s), 1 closed issue(s), 0 open PR(s), 1 merged PR(s), 1 PR(s) closed without merging.
- A fix was merged to main in PR #16382. Verify it addresses your case.
- **Recommended:** read PR #16382 (and any competing PRs below) before filing. Confirm the merged change covers your symptom.

## Maintainer resolution verdict

- Internal-tracker verdict over this cluster's issue members: `resolved` · deciding PR(s): `pr-16382`. This is distinct from the fix status above. Weigh it yourself.

## How this cluster was grouped

- Link evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.
- Pairwise link density `0.67`: the share of member pairs that carry a link, counting a structural link in full and a relevance-only link at 0.36. `1.00` means every pair is linked.

## Closed / duplicate issues

- #15759: \[Bug\]: read_file dedup stub never triggers loop detection — infinite read loop

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#16382: fix(file-tools): escalate to BLOCKED on repeated read_file dedup stubs**. merged to main · fix tier `verified`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`
  - files: `tests/tools/test_file_read_guards.py`, `tools/file_tools.py`
- **#15762: fix(tools): dedup early-return bypasses loop detection in read_file (#15759)**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `superseded_by_pr`; implication `superseded`; refs `a32b325d0`, `977d5f56c`, `ced8f44cd`, `#16382`, `#15759`

## Fix status

- Merged to main in PR #16382 (cited above). No release data is tracked. Verify downstream.
- Fix last verified (merged) `2026-04-27`. This confirmation is old and may be out of date (a revert/reopen would not have invalidated it here); re-verify.